Favourites lined up for new Olympic champion U57kg

A spectacular start to the women's up to 57kg tournament where, like yesterday, the big shock fell at the beginning. Today too, the reigning Olympic champion lost in the early stages. Nora Gjakova had to face the giant killer Enkhriilen Lkhagvatogoo from Mongolia, who later also managed to beat Pauline Starke but lost in a thrilling match against world champion Mimi Huh from Korea. Despite having beaten Huh three times before, perhaps the world title and Olympic tournament brought Huh to great heights again and she made it to the semi-finals.

In that semi-final, she will face Rafaela Silva, as Huh defeated Liparteliani in the quarter-finals but also saw Rafaela Silva return to form, if anyone can do it, it is the experienced Brazilian who was already world champion in 2013 and won the Olympic title in her home Rio de Janeiro in 2016. She became world champion again in 2022 (after a suspension) and then you know that this kind of judoka can withstand anything, and Silva certainly takes the opportunity to shine at every Olympics with her Olympic magic. Against Liparteliani, she took the lead at lightning speed and did not relinquish it.

At the other end of the schedule, the home crowd could cheer for Sarah Leonie Cysique who reached the semi-finals through an excellent victory in the quarter-finals over Haruka Funakubo in nine seconds. Funakubo is a two-time vice world champion and three-time world junior champion. The Japanese faced a tough draw and throughout her tournament beat other former world (junior) champions such as Veronica Toniolo and Daria Bilodid. Bilodid won her first game in five seconds from Nera Tiebwa (KIR), but just had to acknowledge her superiority to Funakubo. But that saw stars against Cysique who started her duel bon enthusiastically and put an ippon on the boards with a leg sweep.

Cysique's opponent in the semi-finals will be Christa Deguchi who did what was expected of her. She won over Jimenez (PAN) and Perisic despite a good match from the Serbian. For her, the rematch awaits against Funakubo and LKhagvatogoo appearing against Eteri Liparteliani.